One-lung ventilation (OLV) in thoracic anesthesia is required to provide good surgical exposure. OLV is commonly achieved through a double lumen tube (DLT) or a bronchial blocker (BB). Malposition is a relevant issue related to these devices use. No prospective studies with adequately large sample size have been performed to evaluate the malposition rate of DLTs and BBs.

Terra dei Fuochi (TdF), the so-called 'Land of Fires' in Southern Italy, is an agricultural territory characterized by illegal dumping of toxic waste known to occur since the 1980s. It is unknown whether prognosis of patients developing cancer and living in that area may differ compared to those living in areas not exposed to this specific type of pollution. We retrospectively analyzed the 5-year survival rates of patients originating from the TdF diagnosed with lung cancer compared to patients from other areas.

Extensive primary resections or redos may produce significant chest wall defects requiring creative reconstructions in order to avoid reduction of the intrathoracic volume. We describe the successful use of an innovative technique for chest wall reconstruction based on the concept of roof coverage of sport arenas. In fact, titanium plates are anchored to the residual rib stumps along the parasternal and paravertebral lines. The acellular collagen matrix prosthesis was sutured to the free edges of the same titanium plates to create a roof, reproducing the chest wall dome geometric configuration. A 36-year-old female patient was diagnosed with an extensive desmoid tumor involving the lateral segments of second to fifth ribs on the right side. The arena roof technique allowed for adequate expansion of the uninvolved lung and optimal chest wall functional recovery.

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor for myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and thrombosis. Elevated plasma homocysteine levels have been demonstrated in patients with recurrent episodes or a single episode of thrombosis. Here we describe the development of cardiovascular disease as a complication of a surgical intervention in a patient with colorectal cancer and hyperhomocysteinemia.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) technique has been described both for diagnostic and therapeutic indications. Outcomes after uniportal VATS have never been reported in large series.

Flexible bronchoscopy is recommended to confirm correct placement of double-lumen tubes used for thoracic anesthesia. However, there is still controversy over routine bronchoscopic confirmation of their position. This study aimed to verify the usefulness of flexible bronchoscopy for confirming the position of double-lumen tubes after blind intubation.

Traditional 3-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in a patient who is awake has been proposed as a breakthrough in the direction of fast tracking patients through routine thoracic surgical procedures. We wanted to explore the possibility of further reducing surgical invasiveness by resecting a peripheral pulmonary nodule with single-access (uniportal) VATS in an awake, nonintubated, nonventilated patient, with selective occlusion of the tributary lobar bronchus.

Post-pneumonectomy bronchopleural fistulas (BPFs) still represent a formidable therapeutic challenge. Several procedures have been proposed of which the least invasive are gaining distinct recognition and favour. We report the case of small-sized BPF treated by plastering the bronchial stump with a combination of bone substitute composite sprayed on a scaffold made of a Vycril mesh and placed on the mediastinal pleura overlying the right hilum.

Postoperative infectious complications after breast surgery may result in significant morbidity, psychological trauma, and additional costs. We assessed the efficacy of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery in a randomized, double-blind trial of 1,766 patients undergoing breast surgery. From January 1, 1996 to August 31, 1997, all eligible patients were assigned randomly to receive a single dose of ceftriaxone (2 g) or ceftazidime (2 g) given intravenously at the induction of anesthesia, with no further doses. The groups were similar with respect to age, operative procedure, operative time and time to discharge after operation. The patients who received ceftriaxone prophylaxis had 54. 4% fewer overall infections than those who received ceftazidime prophylaxis. Wound infection occurred in 0.45% of the ceftriaxone recipients (2 of 883) and 0.91% of the ceftazidime recipients (8 of 883). This prospective randomized double-blind study showed that the long-acting regimen containing ceftriaxone is more cost-effective than the short-acting ceftazidime in preventing postoperative infections in patients subjected to breast surgery.